If you look at the pillows in the stores or online, you'll see a formula start to emerge: embellishment = expense. The more cool stuff added to the pillow - like fringe, tassels, beads, buttons, etc., the higher the price of the pillow. Here's a secret to cracking that formula: you can do it yourself for lots less. It's easy!

What makes this pillow great, and would give it a $80 - $100 price tag at many retail outlets, is the clever combination of fabrics, the beaded fringe, and the cool applique and extra beads sewn to the pillow top. So take a stroll down the Trims & Tassels aisle at your local fabric store; you'll be amazed at the selection. It can be spendy, but you don't need very much. Bring on the bling!

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Decor 3050 )
• Zipper Foot (included with the Decor 3050)

Fabric and Other Supplies

• 12"x9" pillow form
• Various scraps of fabric that look great together
• Purchased beaded appliqué (or make your own on a fabulous embroidery machine, like the Janome Memory Craft 350E)
• 1 ½ yards of beaded fringe
• All-purpose thread in colors to match fabrics
• Hand sewing needle
• Scissors
• Iron

Getting Started

1. Piece your fabric scraps together randomly to create two 12" x 9" rectangles. Remember, you need a 1/2" seam allowance, so add that in when your figuring out your piecing pattern.
2. Pin the beaded fringe to the outside edge of one rectangle. Stop and try to remember that part of the High School Placement Test: "What Will This Box Look Like Folded Up?". When you're done, you want the beads to dangle from the seam. That means when you are pinning the fringe in place, you want the edge of the fabric matched with the edge of the fringe and the beads hanging in toward the center of the fabric. Then, when you sandwich everything together, stitch and turn it right side out, the beads will be on the outside right where they belong.

At Your Machine

1. Using a zipper foot, stitch the beaded fringe all around. Start in the middle of one edge so you join the ends in the center of an edge rather than a corner. Corners are hard to match.
2. Continuing with the zipper foot, stitch rectangles, right sides together, leaving a 6" opening along one edge for turning. Leaving the opening along a long edge is easier to work with than along a short edge.
3. Insert pillow form.
4. Slip-stitch opening closed by hand.
5. Hand stitch your appliqué to one corner of the pillow top, and use any left over beads from the fringe to randomly embellish the rest of the pillow.

Hints and Tips

Piecing, mentioned above, is a lot like creating a fabric jigsaw puzzle. One of my favorite ways to do it is to start with pieces of paper. I cut out one piece of paper the size of my finished pillow and lay that down on the table. Then, I cut out various geometric shapes from other pieces of paper. I like to use different colors of construction paper so I can really see how the shapes are coming together. Then, I start mixing and matching my shapes on top of the base "pillow paper" until I have a look I like that fits the base dimensions. Sometimes I trim pieces smaller; sometimes I cut new pieces larger. Once I have a finished design that fits my base "pillow paper," I use the final individual shape pieces to cut out my fabric scraps. Remember: you need to add 1/2" to each side of the shape pieces before cutting from fabric to allow for your seam allowance.

Other machines suitable for this project include the Pfaff hobby 1122 and the Singer 7422 Advance.

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